MULTIPLE-MAGNETRON SPUTTERING SOURCE WITH PLASMA CONFINEMENT
A sputtering source has a magnetron and a target. Control magnets are provided about the target to modify the magnetic lines of the magnetron. A sputtering source has several magnetrons, each having a respective target. A plasma/sputtering shield is provided in front of the targets. The shield has several windows, each aligned with one of the targets. Magnets are provided on the shield to control the magnetic lines of the magnetrons.
This Application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application, Ser. No. 60/890,243, filed Feb. 16, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND1. Field of the Invention
The general field of the invention relates to sputtering technology and, more specifically, to a unique sputtering source having enhanced plasma confinement.
2. Related Arts
Sputtering technology is well known in the art and is used for, among others, thin layer formation. This technology is used in, for example, semiconductor fabrication and hard disk fabrication. An example of a system utilizing sputtering chambers for hard disk fabrication is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,001, to Fairbaim et al. In such systems, the material to be deposited on a substrate is provided in the form of a target, and a magnetron is used to sputter the target material onto the substrate. In some systems the substrate is moved, while in others it is stationary.
However, when the target material 130 has magnetic permeability, such as cobalt or iron, it is difficult to control the magnetic lines. Magnetic lines that emanate and terminate at the front faces of the magnets 120 may follow the path within the sputtering material 130, shown by the broken-line curves 137 in
With the advancement of technology, multiple layers of increasingly thin dimensions are sometimes needed to be deposited, especially in electronic technology, such as semiconductor devices and magnetic disks. Consequently, the substrates need to be sequentially exposed to several targets of different materials to form a “stack” of layers of different materials. For example, in modern recordable media, such as hard disks, interlaced layers of platinum and cobalt are deposited to form the magnetic recordable media. Each of these layers may be increasingly thin, for example, in the order of 5-20 angstrom. This is especially the case for newer perpendicular recording technology for hard disks. As a result, the substrate may need to be repeatedly cycled through different sputtering chambers, so as to deposit the stack of materials, sometimes consisting of up to 50 different layers.
Therefore, a system is needed that will enable better control over the plasma confinement so as to enhance the deposition rate. Furthermore, a system is needed that will enable faster deposition of multiple layers to reduce the cycling of substrates in many sputtering chambers.
According to aspects of the invention, a sputtering source is provided, comprising: a housing; a magnetron situated within the housing, the magnetron having at least one magnet; a sputtering target mounted in front of the magnetron, the sputtering target having a puttering face; and a control magnet arrangement situated about the sputtering face so as to control magnetic lines emanating from the at least one magnet of the magnetron. The control magnet arrangement may be situated about the sputtering target so as to push magnetic lines into the target. The control magnet arrangement may be situated about the sputtering target so as to pull magnetic lines from the sputtering face of the target. The sputtering source may further comprise a shield situated about the sputtering face of the target. The control magnet arrangement may be mounted onto the shield. The control magnet arrangement may be incorporated inside the shield. The sputtering source may further comprise: at least one additional magnetron; at least one additional target; and a shield having a plurality of windows, each aligned with one target. The control magnet arrangement may be situated about the shield. The control magnet arrangement may be incorporated into the shield.
According to aspects of the invention, a sputtering system is provided, comprising a plurality of processing chambers, at least one of the processing chambers comprises: a processing cavity; tracks for transporting a substrate carrier; a sputtering source, the sputtering source comprising: a housing; a plurality of magnetrons situated within the housing; a plurality of sputtering targets, each mounted onto a respective sputtering source; and a sputtering shield having a plurality of windows, each window aligned with a respective sputtering target. The system may further comprise a plurality of control magnets situated about the shield. The plurality of control magnets may be incorporated into the shield. The system may further comprise: a second sputtering source in a facing relationship to the sputtering source. The second sputtering source may comprise: a housing; a plurality of magnetrons situated within the housing; a plurality of sputtering targets, each mounted onto a respective sputtering source; a sputtering shield having a plurality of windows, each window aligned with a respective sputtering target. The system may further comprise a plurality of control magnets situated inside the sputtering shield of the second sputtering source.
According to aspects of the invention, a method for controlling plasma confinement in a sputtering chamber is provided, comprising: evacuating the sputtering chamber; injecting plasma precursor gas into the chamber; energizing a sputtering magnetron within the chamber, the sputtering magnetron having a sputtering target and a plurality of magnets situated behind the target and generating magnetic field defined by magnetic lines; providing a plurality of control magnets about the target so as to modify the path of the magnetic lines. The method may further comprise placing a shield in front of the target. The method may further comprise mounting the control magnets onto the shield. The method may further comprise mounting the control magnets inside the shield.
SUMMARYThe following summary of the invention is provided in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects and features of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention, and as such it is not intended to particularly identify key or critical elements of the invention, or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a system that enhances control over the plasma confinement. Embodiments of the present invention also provide a system that reduces cycling of substrates in sputtering chambers.
In one aspect of the invention, plasma confinement is improved by using a conductive shield. In a further aspect of the invention, plasma confinement is further improved by incorporating magnets in the conductive shield.
In one aspect of the invention, the number of sputtering chambers is reduced by having multiple-materials targets in each chamber.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, exemplify the embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain and illustrate principles of the invention. The drawings are intended to illustrate major features of the exemplary embodiments in a diagrammatic manner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of actual embodiments nor relative dimensions of the depicted elements, and are not drawn to scale.
FIG. 1illustrates a sputtering chamber according to the prior art.
Various embodiments of the invention are generally directed to a system for sputtering layers of different materials on a substrate, such as a magnetic recordable media. The system may employ several sputtering chambers, each having a sputtering magnetron arrangement for several targets, or targets having several different materials. A metallic shield is provided between the target and the substrate. Magnets may be incorporated into the shield to assist in controlling the plasma confinement.
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When a multiple-target sputtering source, such as source 1000, is installed in a sputtering chamber, such as any of chambers 700, 705, 710, of
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It should be understood that processes and techniques described herein are not inherently related to any particular apparatus and may be implemented by any suitable combination of components. Further, various types of general purpose devices may be used in accordance with the teachings described herein. It may also prove advantageous to construct specialized apparatus to perform the method steps described herein. The present invention has been described in relation to particular examples, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many different combinations of hardware, software, and firmware will be suitable for practicing the present invention. For example, the described software may be implemented in a wide variety of programming or scripting languages, such as Assembler, C/C++, perl, shell, PHP, Java, HFSS, CST, EEKO, etc.
The present invention has been described in relation to particular examples, which are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many different combinations of hardware, software, and firmware will be suitable for practicing the present invention. Moreover, other implementations of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.
Claims
1. A sputtering source, comprising,
- a housing;
- a magnetron situated within the housing, the magnetron having at least one magnet;
- a sputtering target mounted in front of the magnetron, the sputtering target having a puttering face;
- a control magnet arrangement situated about the sputtering face so as to control magnetic lines emanating from the at least one magnet of the magnetron.
2. The sputtering source of claim 1, wherein the control magnet arrangement is situated about the sputtering target so as to push magnetic lines into the target.
3. The sputtering source of claim 1, wherein the control magnet arrangement is situated about the sputtering target so as to pull magnetic lines from the sputtering face of the target.
4. The sputtering source of claim 1, further comprising a shield situated about the sputtering face of the target.
5. The sputtering source of claim 4, wherein the control magnet arrangement is mounted onto the shield.
6. The sputtering source of claim 4, wherein the control magnet arrangement is incorporated inside the shield.
7. The sputtering source of claim 1, further comprising:
- at least one additional magnetron;
- at least one additional target; and
- a shield having a plurality of windows, each aligned with one target.
8. The sputtering source of claim 7, wherein the control magnet arrangement is situated about the shield.
9. The sputtering target of claim 7, wherein the control magnet arrangement is incorporated into the shield.
10. A sputtering system comprising a plurality of processing chambers, at least one of the processing chambers, comprising:
- a processing cavity;
- tracks for transporting a substrate carrier;
- a sputtering source, the sputtering source comprising: a housing; a plurality of magnetrons situated within the housing; a plurality of sputtering targets, each mounted onto a respective sputtering source; a sputtering shield having a plurality of windows, each window aligned with a respective sputtering target.
11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of control magnets situated about the shield.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of control magnets are incorporated into the shield.
13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:
- a second sputtering source in a facing relationship to the sputtering source.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second sputtering source comprises:
- a housing;
- a plurality of magnetrons situated within the housing;
- a plurality of sputtering targets, each mounted onto a respective sputtering source;
- a sputtering shield having a plurality of windows, each window aligned with a respective sputtering target.
15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of control magnets situated inside the sputtering shield of the second sputtering source.
16. A method for controlling plasma confinement in a sputtering chamber, comprising:
- evacuating the sputtering chamber;
- injecting plasma precursor gas into the chamber;
- energizing a sputtering magnetron within the chamber, the sputtering magnetron having a sputtering target and a plurality of magnets situated behind the target and generating magnetic field defined by magnetic lines;
- providing a plurality of control magnets about the target so as to modify the path of the magnetic lines.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising placing a shield in front of the target.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising mounting the control magnets onto the shield.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising mounting the control magnets inside the shield.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 17, 2007
Publication Date: Aug 21, 2008
Inventors: TERRY BLUCK (Santa Clara, CA), Patrick R. Ward (San Jose, CA)
Application Number: 11/958,217
International Classification: C23C 14/35 (20060101);